Earth Sciences

A new study provides clear evidence that the inner core began to decrease its speed around 2010.

A USC researcher hopes a long-term study of a 2021 oil spill will help guide decisions about how to repair affected ecosystems.

USC Earth scientists aid in the exploration of the solar system — including the search for signs of extraterrestrial life.

We can’t live without water, of course. But the H20 molecule itself is quite remarkable. Find out why.

USC Dornsife scientists’ analysis of seismic data identifies a six-year cycle of super- and sub-rotation that affects the length of a day.

An analysis of historical seismic events by a USC Dornsife scientist helps explain why large tsunamis still occur after relatively small earthquakes.

The devices installed by USC’s William Berelson will help create a detailed map of greenhouse gases and other noxious emissions in various Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Laurie Barge, an astrobiologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, investigates the origins of life on Earth to make sense of how life could form on other planets.

USC Dornsife’s Ken Nealson and a team of researchers helped develop SHERLOC, the ultraviolet laser technology that will probe the red planet for chemicals produced by living organisms.

As the new director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, Yehuda Ben-Zion wants to advance quake forecasting to a place where we can see the “big one” coming.